Georgia’s Secretary of State visits Columbia County as countdown to Election Day continues

EVANS, Ga. (WJBF) – With less than 30 days until Election Day, Secretary of State Brad Raffensperger is making sure every county is ready.

He’s going around the Peach state to check on election boards ahead of the November election.

But he says it’s impossible to overlook the bigger problems some continue to face following Helene.

“About a week ago, I was in Jeff Davis County, down in Hazelhurst. 92.35% of all people there are without power,” said Raffensperger.

The hurricane has caused heavy damage around Columbia County.

We asked the secretary if the storm has caused damaged drop boxes or delayed mail with the U.S. Postal Service, but he says that’s fortunately not the case.

“We saw ballots were mailed out in Muscogee County in Columbus, they were mailed out here in Columbia County. The United States Postal Service was very open, and just facilitated making sure they were ready to accept those absentee ballots mailed out,” Raffensperger said.

But another curveball in the election process is the recent decision by the state elections board.

The board approved a decision requiring poll workers to stay after the polls close in order to hand-count ballots—-Raffensperger calls the decision an unnecessary extra step.

“My biggest concern is when things happen to take longer, and you don’t get your results by 10 o’clock or 11 o’clock, and they’re going to 1 o’clock or 3 o’clock, that’s the breeding ground for conspiracy theories. All of a sudden, people start thinking why aren’t I getting the results because of these rules—they added nothing to it,” the secretary added.

“If anything, I think they actually added an element of concern about chain of custody. It is what it is, and that’s going to be decided because it’s before a judge.”

But aside from setbacks from the storm, all 159 counties will start early voting next Tuesday on time.

“I think that’s a testament to the professionalism and the dedication of our election workers. They know that every vote matters because every voter matters. It’s important to them,” said Raffensperger. This is what they live and breathe, and it’s the very best public service you can ever give. We’re so grateful that they’re here in Georgia, and they’re working hard to make sure we have fair and honest elections for everyone.”

Early voting in the Peach State begins next Tuesday, October 15th, with Election Day set for November 5th.

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